How lifesaving drug Narcan works

Emergency medical technicians come upon some sad and gruesome scenes in their line of work.

Deborah Allard Herald News Staff Reporter @debsallard

FALL RIVER — Emergency medical technicians come upon some sad and gruesome scenes in their line of work.

One of the more familiar sites is discovering someone that is unresponsive, unconscious, and barely or not breathing at all.

Sometimes, there’s the telltale needle, something left smoking in the ashtray, or bits of a substance that wasn’t fully snorted.

EMTs must act quickly in opioid overdose situations.

An intravenous line is started and a small dosage of Naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan, is fed into the tubing and into the victim’s body. If an IV can’t be started, the medication can be given as a nasal spray.

The medication is an antagonist. It displaces the opioid from the receptors in the brain and temporarily shuts off the drug effects and allows regular breathing to resume.

“Every time we administer Narcan, they buy themselves a ride to the hospital,” said John Duclos, director of Emergency Medical Services for the Fall River Fire Department.

Duclos said Naloxone has been used by EMTs in Fall River since 1993.

He said the drug was first used in hospitals in the 1960s to combat overdose.

Today, it is used by first responders to stop the effects of overdose, which can and often do lead to death.

The Massachusetts Department or Public Health since 2007 has run a pilot program in which 15 health and substance abuse agencies in the state distribute Narcan and train addicts, along with their partners and relatives, on how to administer Narcan. The agency reported that Narcan has saved some 2,000 lives in Massachusetts.

Dr. Angela Halburda, a doctor of osteopathy who practices at Saint Anne’s Hospital Center for Pain Management in Swansea, said the use of Narcan may be further expanded to be offered in drug stores with a prescription in the coming years.

“There’s talk about it across the U.S. and in the American Society of Addiction Medicine,” Haliburda said.

Haliburda said the use heroin in particular may have grown because physicians are more aware of drug seeking behavior and prescription drug abuse and are prescribing less opiods and other pain killers.

“There’s less available,” Haliburda said. “The supply is dwindling.”

In addition, Haliburda said heroin is often cheaper than pills.

Heroin is the main cause of accidental overdose in this area. Sometimes, the victim has also used cocaine, an upper, in addition to heroin.

“We’re seeing a rash of overdose in this area,” Haliburda said.

Heroin is a highly addicting opioid, either derived naturally from the opium poppy or synthetically manufactured.

“The more you use it, the more you have to use it,” Duclos said.

It is a depressant, or a downer, and at high levels can decrease breathing and cause unconsciousness. Heroin and other opiates block pain messages and induce euphoria.

Duclos said Narcan works “almost immediately” to combat overdose of heroin and other opioids.

Mayor Will Flanagan has proposed that Fall River police officers be trained in the use of Narcan. Often times, police are first on the scene of a drug overdose.

“The program starting in the city is a good program,” Duclos said.

Duclos said after first responders administer Narcan, the victim is taken to the hospital to be monitored for several hours.

Halburda said the The effects of Narcan last 30 to 90 minutes. The patient may be given additional Narcan as they can go back into an overdose situation.

“It gives you breathing room to get that person to the hospital,” Haliburda said.

If too much Narcan is administered, it can put the victim in withdrawal, which may induce vomiting and abdominal cramps, and increase their chance of using again if possible.

For first responders, the objective is clear.

“Your main objective is to get people breathing on their own,” Duclos said. “As an emergency first responder, you do what you’ve got to do.”

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